Port Vale are one of the few English league clubs not to be named after a city or town. The name Port Vale exists on maps pre-dating the 1876 formation of the club, and is a reference to a valley of ports on the Trent and Mersey Canal, associated with the city's pottery industry. The two symbols on the clubs badge are a bottle kiln and the Stafford knot. The club's mascot is Boomer the Dog, the Baha Men hit 'Who Let the Dogs Out?' is played as Boomer takes to the field before kick-off at home games, his squad number is 'K9'. The current shirt sponsorship comes from Harlequin Property.

Possibly the club's most successful times have been in the 50s, where they were FA Cup semi-finalists in 1954 and won numerous league titles. John Rudge was manager from 1983 to 1999 and steered the club through some of its best years, certainly in recent times. Under his leadership the club reached 8th in the second tier in the 1996–97 season and enjoyed cup glory and numerous promotion campaigns. Since his reign the club have declined, Bill Bratt's Valiant 2001 supporters group took the club out of administration in 2003. But despite providing relative financial security for the club, as of 2009 the group has failed to prevent the club slipping to its lowest league standing in 30 years.

Port Vale were formed in 1876, following a meeting at the Port Vale House, from where the club took its name.[2] They played their football at Limekiln Lane, Longport and from 1880 at Westport. The club moved to Burslem in 1884, changing its name to Burslem Port Vale in the process, they played at Moorland Road before moving into the Athletic Ground in 1885. In 1892 the club were founder members of the Football League Second Division.

The club dropped 'Burslem' from their name in 1907—a dark time of financial difficulties where the club were forced to resign from the league. However the clubs fortunes soon improved, they moved into their new home of The Old Recreation Ground in 1912 and returned to the Football League in October 1919, taking over the fixture list of Leeds City in the second division, who were disbanded because of financial irregularities.

The removal of 'Burslem' from the club's name means that it is the only club other than Arsenal in the English football league not to have the name of an area in its name.

In 1921 the club adopted their familiar white and black strip after having experimented with numerous colours, including; plain red, gold and black stripes, claret and blue and even during 1898–1902 playing in the red and white stripes now used by rivals Stoke City for the past 100 years. However, the kit soon changed to plain red shirts with white shorts in 1923, a look which lasted until 1934, where the white shirt, black shorts and socks kit once again was adopted.

After this peak the club were once again relegated in the 1935-36 season and remained in the third tier until World War II.

With the outbreak of war in Europe and Vale sitting bottom of the Third Division South after 2 games, the 1939-40 season was cancelled as Britain and the allies fought a brutal war against Nazi Germany and the axis. With Germany and Japan's defeat peace was restored and the 1946-47 season began.

In 1950, Vale Park was completed, the clubs second ground, a year later Freddie Steele became manager. Steele quickly established himself at the club, masterminding the celebrated 'Iron Curtain' defence. The 1953-54 saw Vale storming to the Third Division North title as well as reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup, losing out to eventual winners West Brom in very controversial fashion, seeing an Albert Leake goal disallowed for offside.[3] Three years later the club were once again relegated and once again became founder members of a league- this time the Football League Fourth Division. Their first season in this new division was extremely successful as the club took the title with a club record 110 goals.

During the '60s the Vale fans witnessed numerous good cup runs, though never reaching close to their 1954 semi-final appearance. In 1967 Stanley Matthews took over (from Jackie Mudie who spent two years as Manager), his reign ended in tears in 1968 as Vale were expelled from the Third Division over seemingly illegal payments made to players.[4]

Gordon Lee took the helm after Vales expulsion, and soon after the club were back in the 3rd division when they were promoted in 1970 finishing 4th in the 4th Division. However the 1970s did not prove a successful period for the Valiants as the club languished in the bottom half of the 3rd division for much of the decade(despite a finishes of 6th in 1973 & 1975). Lee left in 1974 after Vale avoided relegation by just one place. The club eventually succumbed to relegation back to the 4th Division in 1978 finishing 21st under Dennis Butler. Ultimately five managers would follow Lee out the door having proved unable (or unwilling in regards to those who left to coach higher placed teams) to steady the club.

The season ending in 1980 saw Port Vale finish 20th in the Fourth Division (88th overall), the clubs worst ever finish. However local rivals Crewe Alex were three places below them, giving the supporters some small comfort. Despite this poor finish in John McGrath's first season the club did begin to show some signs of recovery under his tutoridge. Improving to 7th in 1982 and then achieving their first success for 13 years the following season when Vale were promoted to the 3rd Division in 3rd place.

In a decision that was to shape the next seventeen years of the clubs history, John Rudge, McGrath's assistant, was appointed manager at Vale Park in December 1983. Though he was unable to halt Vale's immediate return to the bottom tier of the Football League, he succeeded in steadying the ship. Vale were promoted back to the third tier in 1985-86, losing just once at Vale Park, and, helped by the goals of prolific WelshmanAndy Jones, finished in fourth place. One of the many cup upsets came in 1988, when a Vale side, mid-way in the Third Division, defeated First Division Tottenham 2-1.

They suffered relegation on the final day of the 1991-92 league campaign. In 1992-93, Vale bounced back well and were in the promotion picture for most of the season however they narrowly missed out as runners-up to local rivals Stoke City when Bolton Wanderers pipped them on the final day following a late run of form from the lancashire side. In a remarkable end to the season Vale would visit Wembley twice in just over a week. First in the final of the Autoglass Trophy which was to be the clubs first appearance at the home of football, Vale ran out 2-1 winners against Stockport County with Paul Kerr and Bernie Slaven scoring the goals. Unfortunately in what was arguably the more important game of the two, Vale then lost in the play-off final to West Bromwich Albion after Vale defender Peter Swan was red carded with the game poised at 0-0, West Brom went on to win 3-0 to deny the Valiants an immediate return to the 2nd tier. However, they weren't to be denied a season later and confirmed promotion on the final day of 1993-94 with a 3-1 win at Brighton'sGoldstone Ground as runners up to Reading. The season also included Rudge's second giantkilling act as Vale took out Southampton (then in the Premiership) in the FA Cup on their way to the 4th round.

Again, Vale made a slow start to the 1996-97 campaign, with only two wins from their opening ten league games. A protest against chairman Bill Bell after a poor home defeat to Crystal Palace seemed to mark an upturn in the Valiants' performances. Despite the sale of Steve Guppy to Leicester City for £800,000, Vale's form remained steady from then on, until five wins from six, from mid-March to mid-April, put them in with a chance of making the play-offs and, ultimately, a place in the Premiership. However, with three games remaining, Vale were to lose to Stoke City, before Wolves came away from Vale Park with a 2-1 victory to end their hopes. Vale's final finishing position of eighth was their highest in the pyramid since 1931.

The eighth-placed finish was to be the height of Vale's powers under John Rudge, and the following season, 1997-98, saw a more familiar mid-table and, eventually, relegation battle. Vale found themselves in deep relegation trouble going into the final match at Huddersfield after three straight defeats. Goals from Martin Foyle, Jan Jansson (two) and Lee Mills saw Vale claim a 4-0 win and an escape at the expense of Manchester City and Stoke City.

1998-99 saw Port Vale fare little better, with an early League Cup defeat to Chester City setting the tone. After sixteen years as Port Vale manager, John Rudge was sacked in January 1999 after one of Vale's most successful eras. He was replaced by former player Brian Horton, who had been working at Brighton & Hove Albion. Horton made five transfer-deadline day signings costing £1,000,000, and Vale managed a second-consecutive final-day escape after losing just two of their remaining eight games. There was no escape in 1999-2000, however. It was Huddersfield who eventually sealed Vale's fate with a 2-1 win at Vale Park, with Vale ultimately going down thirteen points adrift.

Despite a poor start to life back in the 3rd tier, the Valiants rallied and Brian Horton led the club to the LDV Vans Trophy in 2001, beating Brentford in the final to claim the competition for the 2nd time. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson and Steve Brooker were the heroes this time in a game played at the Millennium Stadium because of Wembley's inpending refurbishment. After the League Trophy-winning season, the Valiants lost the services of veterans Tony Naylor and Allen Tankard, as the Rudge legacy gradually became a part of the club's past. A disappointing 14th place finish followed in 2001-02 and at the end of 2002, Bill Bell eventually called in the administrators with the club around £1.5 million in debt. Valiant 2001 eventually secured control of the club after a long and drawn-out process as the season neared its close.

2003-04 was a new era for the club off the pitch, with the club coming out of administration under a new board of fan-ownership. However, Horton left in March 2004 after the board revealed he would not be given a new contract on the same terms and his budget would be slashed due to cost-cutting after administration. He was to be replaced by former player Martin Foyle, who had been a success as the club's youth-team manager. Foyle spent almost four years as manager after this, but the style of football the team were playing did him few favours as Vale finished 17th and 13th in his first two full campaigns in charge despite promising starts. Foyle put together a successful strike partnership in Leon Constantine and Akpo Sodje, but a poor start to the 2007-08 season, in which several of Foyle's major signings didn't live up to expectation resulted in his dismissal on 4 November 2007, with Vale in deep relegation trouble.

He was succeeded by Lee Sinnott, but the former Farsley Celtic manager was unable to prevent the club from sliding into League Two after a 23rd-place finish, as well as crashing out to Chasetown (an 8th tiered club) in the FA Cup Second Round. 2008-09 was Vale's first season in the bottom tier of the Football League for over twenty years. Sinnott was sacked on 22 September 2008, after an unsuccessful start to their League Two campaign with the Valiants in 16th place, Dean Glover taking over as caretaker-manager for the second time in twelve months.[5] He was appointed as manager on a permanent basis on 6 October.[6]

Glover was not the fan's choice for the management position, and failed to win over the supporters. The 2008-09 season finished with the club in 18th place in League Two, only a final day win at Barnet ensuring the club avoided its worst ever points tally in the bottom tier of the Football League. After months of speculation it was announced on 1 May 2009 that a new manager would be found for the 2009-10 season with Glover standing down from the role.[7]

On 4 June 2009, it was announced that Micky Adams would become the club's new manager. In just his second match, a League Cup tie at Championship side Sheffield United, Vale ran out 2-1 winners. This becoming only the third time in the clubs history that they had won away at a side two leagues above their own status (the others were in 1954 and 1964, both in the FA Cup). It was the same story in the second round, as Sheffield Wednesday were humbled 2-0. They eventually went out to Championship side Scunthorpe United in the third round and found themselves on the fringe of the League Two play-offs in mid-season.[8]

Stadiums

The Old Recreation Ground

The Rec was Vale's home from 1913 to 1950, before which they had flitted between several homes in their early years of existence. One of these was the Cobridge Athletic Ground, which was also a dog track for greyhound racing in Cobridge, an area between Burslem and Hanley. The Old Recreation Ground was located in Hanley and stood on what is now the multi-storey car park for the Potteries Shopping Centre.

Vale Park

Vale Park has been Port Vale's home ground since 1950. Vale Park has a notional capacity of around 22,000; however with all the developments and a switch to an all-seater stadium in recent years, it is more likely around 18 or 19,000 once Lorne Street is completed.

Despite not being the oldest ground in the world, it has had several upgrades in its history. The original ground consisted of just two stands (The Railway side and the Lorne Street main stand) with banks of terracing at the Bycars and Hamil ends of the ground. Stands were eventually added behind each set of goals during the 1980s and 1990s as the ground began to be modernised. The paddock at the front of the Railway Stand was also made into an all-seated area, with just the Lorne Street side now being left as a standing area. Vale fans stood for the last time on Lorne Street at the end of the 1997-98 season, with the stand being demolished before work began on a new £3,000,000 structure. Work has yet to been finished on this, due to lack of finances and a change in ownership of the club. However, once new owners V2001 had taken care of the financing, work was finally begun on finishing the second half of the stand.

Supporters

Vale get most of their support in the north of Stoke-on-Trent, with the football fans in the towns of Tunstall and Burslem being mostly Valiants. The club also enjoys support from fans scattered all over the city, and the local area in general. The club has a healthy rivalry with Stoke City, as City are based in the town of Stoke-upon-Trent, only a small percentage of residents in the town are Vale fans. Stoke City also tends to enjoy a higher support base in the city as a whole, especially in recent times when they have achieved promotion to the country's top division.

Among the club's famous fan base is singer Robbie Williams, who was raised in Stoke-on-Trent. He is now a major shareholder, having, in February 2006, bought £240,000 worth of the £250,000 worth of available shares in the club. Castle Comfort Stairlifts, the club's sponsors, at the same time bought the remainder for £10,000.[9] For this investment, a restaurant at Vale Park is named after him.[10]

"Although I can't be at the Vale often, my investment is just to say that my heart is still there and I'm a huge supporter. I'm really excited about what we may be able to do with the club in the future."Robbie Williams speaking in 2006.

For the computer game FIFA 2000, he provided an original theme song with It's Only Us, on the condition that Port Vale were included in the game, which they were, and are located in the Rest of World section. This song was also featured on the only FIFA Soundtrack CD release by EMI.[11]

Another famous fan is darts legend Phil Taylor; Burslem born, The Power is a 15 time world champion of the sport.[13] The local Member of ParliamentJoan Walley is also a supporter.[14] The singer Simon Webbe was signed up to the club's youth side as a teenager until a torn ligament at age seventeen put an end to any sporting ambitions. He remains a supporter of the club.[15][16]

Those listed with a British nationality are assumed to be British, however exact nationality is not known for certain.

Reserve and youth teams

The club has run a reserve team for most of its history, they originally joined the Cheshire County League in 1923 with their most successful period coming in the late 1920s early 1930s when they won the league five times(four times consecutively) and also did the league and cup double in 1931. Despite one season in the Birmingham League in 1933-34, the reserves remained in the Cheshire division for nearly 50 years eventually leaving the league for good in the 1971 to join the Central League. Vale did have a period without a reserve outfit after the club came out of administration in 2003 due to cost cutting. However it was started up again in time for the 2006-07 season. Vale's reserves currently compete in The Central League Division One Central. The team is usually made up of a combination of fringe players and youth players in the last year or two of their scholarships. Former Vale player Andy Porter, who was also manager of the youth team, took charge of the reserves until he left the club at the end of 2008, leading them to second place in the 2007-08 league, although it was not enough to qualify for the end-of-season play-offs as a best runner-up. Geoff Horsfield is currently running the side with help from Mark Grew.

The most senior of the club's youth teams play their matches in the Football League Youth Alliance North West Conference, with ex-Valiant Mark Grew coaching them. In recent years, the under-18s have gone from strength to strength, winning a number of youth tournaments with more players going onto to earn professional contracts in the first team.

2007-08 was particularly notable, as the under-18s won the Foyle Cup in pre-season, beating Bournemouth 1-0 in the final, before equalling the club record of reaching the quarter-final in the FA Youth Cup, including the giantkillings of Bolton and Tottenham. The youth team finished the season by winning the Midland Floodlit Youth Cup, beating Lincoln City 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Sincil Bank.[21]

2008-09 began with the under-18s adding the Shrewsbury International Soccer Tournament to the trophy cabinet, remaining unbeaten throughout the event before beating Sutton Coldfield 3-0 in the final.[22] The Midland Youth Cup was won for a second consecutive year in 2009 as the young Valiants beat Rushden & Diamonds 3-1, this time on home soil at Vale Park.[23] The under-18s attempts at retaining the Shrewsbury International Soccer Tournament in 2009-10 got off to a poor start with defeat to Egyptian side Al-Ahly 2-1. The young Valiants could then only manage a 0-0 draw with Mexican'sCruz Azul in their second game. Al-Ahly were then to end their chances of making the final beating Cruz Azul themselves 2-0! A 1-0 victory over Ulster Schools was enough for Vale to qualify for the 3rd/4th place play-off, where they despatched local side Ellesmere Rangers 3-0 to take the bronze medal.[24]